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Malawi
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made by Friends of the Earth to the United Kingdom's executive director at the World bank on the subject of the recently approved Malawi Power loan V ; and what reply has been sent.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We are not aware of any representations made by Friends of the Earth in connection with the Malawi Power V project which was approved by the World bank's executive board in June 1992.
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Bosnia
Mr. Brandreth : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the visit to Bosnia by the permanent secretary of the Overseas Development Administration.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Copies of the visit report by Mr. Tim Lankester, Permanent Secretary of the ODA, have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
World Bank
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to publish, on a monthly basis, details of those structural adjustment loans which are being considered by the World bank and which are listed in the World bank's operational review.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I have made arrangements for a copy of the World bank's operational summary of proposed projects to be made available in the Libraries of the House. This document contains information on all loans, including those related to structural adjustment, which are being considered by the bank.
EDUCATION
Post-16 Education
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of children in the United Kingdom remain in full-time education beyond the age of 16 years ; and if he will tabulate the United Kingdom figures alongside those for other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
Mr. Forman : The available information is given in the table.
|c|Participation rates in full-time education and training<1> of 16 and|c|
|c|16 to 18 year olds, 1988<2>|c|
Percentages
Country |16 year olds |16-18 year olds
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Australia<4> |76 |52
Belgium<2> |92 |82
Canada<5> |100 |77
Denmark |90 |79
France |82 |73
Germany (Federal Republic)<6> |71 |49
Italy<2> |65 |55
Japan<7> |93 |84
Netherlands<6> |93 |77
Spain<8> |68 |58
Sweden |84 |73
United Kingdom<9>
1988 |50 |35
1989 |53 |36
USA<2> |95 |75
<1> Includes apprenticeships, YTS and similar schemes.
<2> 1987 for Belgium and Italy (provisional), 1989 for USA.
<3> Includes higher education for some 18 year olds.
<4> Includes an estimate for those students studying subsidised courses at
non-governmental business colleges.
<5> Excludes certain part-time students, 16 per cent. at 16-18.
<6> Includes compulsory part-time education for 16 and 17 year olds in
Germany and Netherlands.
<7> Includes private sector higher education and an estimate for special
training and miscellaneous schools providing vocational
training.
<8> Includes estimates for 18 year olds in universities.
<9> Includes estimates for those studying only in the evening and for private
sector further and higher education, including training courses with
employers.
Sources: Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 1992,Table BB (1992
edition draft).
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will indicate the comparable levels of literacy and numeracy for 16 to 18-year- olds in the United Kingdom and other OECD countries.
Mr. Forman : Information on levels of literacy and numeracy among 16 to 18-year-olds in the United Kingdom is not available centrally. However, the adult literacy and basic skills unit estimates that 5.5 million adults in England and Wales have some difficulty with reading, writing, spelling and basic mathematics. It does not, however, have a basis for making comparisons with other countries.
Expenditure
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of gross domestic product was spent on education in the current fiscal year for (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
Mr. Forman : The readily available information is as follows :
|c|Total Public Expenditure<1> on
education as a Percentage of Gross|c|
|c|National Product (Calender Year)|c|
|1988
-----------------------------------------
United Kingdom |<2>4.6
Australia |<3>5.0
Austria |5.7
Belgium |<4>4.9
Canada |7.1
Denmark |7.8
Finland |7.4
France |5.3
Germany (Federal Republic) |4.2
Greece |<3>2.7
Iceland |5.4
Ireland |<3>7.0
Italy |<3>4.8
Japan |<5>4.3
Luxembourg |4.6
New Zealand |n/a
Netherlands |6.8
Norway |7.4
Portugal |4.8
Spain |4.3
Sweden |6.7
Switzerland |4.9
Turkey |n/a
United States of America |<5>5.3
Sources: UNESCO Statistical Yearbook
1991.
Education Statistics for the United
Kingdom 1991.
<1> Public subsides to the private
sector are included.
<2> Excludes expenditure on students at
DH establishments on nursing and
paramedical courses.
<3> 1987 data.
<4> Ministry of Education only.
<5> Estimated. Includes some private
funds, but excludes fees.
n/a=not available.
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School Transport
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision is being made for transport for children attending grant- maintained schools.
Mr. Forth : Local education authorities have a statutory duty to provide free transport for pupils who attend grant-maintained schools for whom they consider it necessary, and the power to assist other pupils. Information on LEAs' schools transport arrangements is not collected centrally, but they must treat GM pupils no less favourably as regards transport than pupils who attend schools maintained by an LEA.
School Catering
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what independent assessment has been made of the standards of school catering since the introduction of local authority competitive tendering.
Mr. Forth : We are aware of no study on the effects of compulsory competitive tendering on the standards of school catering. CCT should represent an opportunity for improving the quality of school meals as it places greater emphasis on specifying the standards which services are expected to meet. This was recognised in the report "Nutritional Guidelines for Schools" published by the Caroline Walker Trust on 24 November.
Popular Schools
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision is being made to meet an increase in demand for places at schools which have demonstrated the best results in recently published league tables.
Mr. Forth : In distributing capital resources we already give a high priority to providing new places where demand is rising, though in doing so we also take account of any surplus places in the area. In addition, the powers my right hon. Friend proposes in the Education Bill will also facilitate imaginative rationalisation schemes, which will create further opportunity recognising the needs of popular schools.
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what selection criteria will be set for the selection of pupils at more popular schools.
Mr. Forth : Admission arrangements in maintained schools are the responsibility of the governing body or local education authority, depending on the nature of the school. Admission arrangements for grant- maintained schools must be approved by the Secretary of State. The criteria established for deciding between pupils if the school is oversubscribed must be clear, reasonable and objective ; and consistent with the established character of the school.
The Department plans to consult shortly on updated guidance to schools and LEAs on admission arrangements.
Higher Education
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the rate for the numbers of higher education in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
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Mr. Forman : The readily available figures are shown in the table.
|c|New entrants<1> to higher education, 1988|c|
Country |Participation
|rate<2>
|(percentage)
------------------------------------------------------------
United Kingdom<3> |37
United Kingdom<3> 1989 |41
Australia<4> |57
Belgium<5> |49
Canada<5><6> |59
Denmark |48
France |44
Germany (Federal Republic) |32
Italy<5> |27
Japan<7>(a) |37
(b) |52
Netherlands<5><8> |36
Spain<5> |35
Sweden<9> |47
United States of America<10>(a) |65
(b) |33
Sources: Education Statistics for the United Kingdom, Table
CC (1992 edition draft).
<1>Includes full-time and part-time students entering
higher education for the first time i.e. excluding
postgraduate students and others already having a
qualification in higher education. Not all other countries
may adhere to this general definition.
<2>To aid comparison and overcome the problem of the
varying lengths of courses in different countries the
participation rate is the percentage of all new entrants (
defined above) to a derived relevant single year group. The
latter is calculated by taking the total populations for
the ages providing at least 70 per cent. of the new
entrants and dividing by the number of ages involved. For
the United Kingdom this is the population of ages 18 to 21
divided by 4. OECD recommend this procedure.
<3>Excludes the private sector and students from abroad.
Includes nursing and paramedical students at Health
Department establishments.
<4>Excludes Technical and Further Education (TAFE).
<5>1986 data for Canada, 1987 for Belgium, Netherlands,
Italy and Spain.
<6>Provisional.
<7>The (b) rate shown includes data for advanced special
training schools (SENSHU's) which may be equivalent to
sub-degree higher education.
<8>Full-time only and excludes Open University.
<9>Excluding one-year courses, which may be below level 5.
<10>The (b) rate excludes students on two-year courses,
some of which may not be equivalent to sub-degree higher
education.
Examination Results, Liverpool
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received from schools in Liverpool about the recent publication of exam results.
Further Education
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will set out by local education authority (a) the actual spending on further education and sixth-form colleges for the financial year 1991-92, (b) the planned spending on further education and sixth-form colleges for the financial year 1992-93, (c) the standard spending assessment--SSA--for further education and sixth-form colleges for the financial year 1992-93 and (d) the amount deducted from the standard spending assessment for further education and sixth-form colleges for the financial year 1993-94.
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Mr. Forman : Information about (a) is not yet available. In respect of (b), the Government have calculated for each local education authority a further education adjustment for the purposes of proposing a relevant notional amount. These proposed adjustments are set out in the table. So far as (c) is concerned, authorities' SSAs for 1992-93 do not identify an element for further education and sixth-form colleges. As for (d), there has been no deduction from 1993-94 SSAs for further education and sixth- form colleges. The 1993-94 education standard spending total from which the education component of SSAs is derived covers only those functions for which LEAs will be responsible from 1 April 1993.
4 December 1992 Page 1
|c|The further education adjustment used in calculation of|c|
|c|provisional relevant notional amounts|c|
Local authority |Provisional further
|education
|adjustment (£
|million)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Greater London
City of London |4.151
Camden |11.056
Greenwich |9.355
Hackney |13.172
Hammersmith and Fulham |8.250
Islington |9.668
Kensington and Chelsea |9.167
Lambeth |16.146
Lewisham |14.894
Southwark |11.976
Tower Hamlets |12.197
Wandsworth |19.490
Westminster |10.385
Barking and Dagenham |6.404
Barnet |13.040
Bexley |6.330
Brent |22.839
Bromley |7.841
Croydon |18.535
Ealing |11.495
Enfield |13.341
Haringey |11.439
Harrow |13.652
Havering |10.139
Hillingdon |7.916
Hounslow |5.320
Kingston upon Thames |5.420
Merton |8.924
Newham |21.298
Redbridge |6.304
Richmond upon Thames |8.383
Sutton |4.485
Waltham Forest |12.858
Greater Manchester
Bolton |11.266
Bury |11.460
Manchester |26.563
Oldham |15.585
Rochdale |10.408
Salford |10.872
Stockport |16.799
Tameside |3.767
Trafford |9.432
Wigan |20.491
Merseyside
Knowsley |4.669
Liverpool |19.450
Sefton |10.284
St. Helens |12.362
Wirral |12.989
South Yorkshire
Barnsley |9.738
Doncaster |11.712
Rotherham |12.146
Sheffield |23.306
Tyne and Wear
Gateshead |6.067
Newcastle upon Tyne |6.854
North Tyneside |7.273
South Tyneside |8.894
Sunderland |14.436
West Midlands
Birmingham |57.798
Coventry |14.501
Dudley |14.905
Sandwell |16.748
Solihull |9.482
Walsall |10.092
Wolverhampton |14.094
West Yorkshire
Bradford |20.815
Calderdale |10.460
Kirklees |21.005
Leeds |31.971
Wakefield |18.657
Shire counties
Avon |33.404
Bedfordshire |20.719
Berkshire |29.402
Buckinghamshire |23.327
Cambridgeshire |32.716
Cheshire |52.790
Cleveland |37.034
Cornwall |21.790
Cumbria |17.671
Derbyshire |41.562
Devon |41.651
Dorset |22.698
Durham |24.633
East Sussex |33.034
Essex |63.777
Gloucestershire |24.388
Hampshire |97.094
Hereford and Worcester |33.482
Hertfordshire |40.943
Humberside |41.290
Isle of Wight |5.003
Kent |54.536
Lancashire |78.502
Leicestershire |37.585
Lincolnshire |27.457
Norfolk |27.622
Northamptonshire |24.714
Northumberland |7.929
North Yorkshire |31.097
Nottinghamshire |50.874
Oxfordshire |22.216
Shropshire |25.451
Somerset |25.847
Staffordshire |51.848
Suffolk |24.655
Surrey |52.294
Warwickshire |25.815
West Sussex |31.117
Wiltshire |23.432
Isles of Scilly |0.274
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what spending per student in further education colleges was in 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93, in cash terms and in a real-terms index with 1979-80 as the base year.
Column 564
Mr. Forman : Expenditure per student in further education colleges for financial years 1979-80, 1989-90 and 1990-91, the latest year available, are shown in the table.
Financial years |1979-80 |1989-90 |1990-91 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Expenditure per student (fte) Cash terms (£) |1,540 |2,780 |2,920 Real terms index<1> |100 |90 |88 <1> The real terms index has been calculated using the current Gross Domestic Product Deflators.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what part of the provision to be made available to the Further Education Funding Council is directly related to student numbers in both cash terms and as a percentage in 1993-94, 1994-95 and 1995-96 ; and on what assumptions this figure is calculated.
Mr. Forman : In order to encourage efficiency in the achievement of increased student numbers, part of the provision to be made available to the Further Education Funding Council will be directly related to actual student numbers and will be paid from a non cash-limited vote. This element of funding will be introduced in the academic year 1993-94 and will be limited initially to full-time students. The total amount to be made available in this element will be the product of the actual number of full- time students and a rate per student of £750 a year. The rate per student and the scope of funding in later years will be subject to review.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what part of the proposed expenditure total for further education in 1993-94 is assumed to be spending per student in both cash terms and in a real terms index with 1979-80 as the base year ; and what are the figures for 1994-95 and 1995-96.
Mr. Forman : The total funding made available to the Further Education Funding Council--FEFC--in 1993-94, 1994-95 and 1995-96 for recurrent expenditure is planned to be £2,550 million, £2,734 million and £2,944 million respectively. The FEFC has announced that from the 1993-94 total it intends to make available to colleges £2,507 million. On the basis of the Government's projection of 970,000 full-time equivalent students for whom provision will be made by the FEFC in 1993-94, the level of support per student would be some £2, 600
Figures for 1979-80 are not available on a comparable basis.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to his answer of 16 November, Official Report, column 42, what assumptions and information about the current level of fundings by local education authorities of courses for which the Further Education Funding Council will be responsible from 1993 were made on deciding the level of funds to be made available to the Further Education Funding Council in 1993 -94.
Mr. Forman : In reaching a notional apportionment of local education authorities' spending on education in 1992-93, the Government assumed that their recurrent spending in that year on activities which from 1993-94 would be the responsibility of the Further Education Funding Council would appropriately be £2,341 million. This assumption took account of the latest available
Column 565
expenditure data and student, pupil, lecturer and teacher numbers. It also took account of the findings of a special survey of LEA spending on further education.Health Education
Ms. Coffey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will reconsider his decision to withdraw the 60 per cent. funding for health education co-ordinators from local education authorities from March 1993 ; and if he will provide information about the numbers of school children who smoke.
Mr. Forth : My right hon. Friend's decision, which is now final, to discontinue the grant for education support and training programme for preventive health education at the end of the current financial year, was relayed to local education authorities through the Department's circular 10/92 which issued on 13 August.
A Health Education Authority/MORI survey undertaken in 1989 of nine to 15- year-olds in England, suggested that about 200,000 young people had become regular smokers by the age of 15.
Rudolf Steiner Schools
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to (a) the resolution of the European Parliament on freedom of education, dated 14 March 1984, (b) the right to education in Article 1 (b) of the declaration of fundamental rights and freedoms of 12 April 1989, and (c) article 63 of the concluding document of the Vienna meeting of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, dated 15 January 1989, in drawing up his policy on the funding of Rudolf Steiner education in Rudolf Steiner schools ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forman : My right hon. Friend is aware of the various provisions referred to, but he does not consider that they require the Government to fund any particular form of independent education, including Steiner schools.
Unemployed Students
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what specific financial incentives have been given to the Further Education Funding Council to increase participation by unemployed students in education courses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forman : The Government's expenditure plans for further education will allow for a 25 per cent. increase in student numbers, and hence a significant increase in participation, over the period 1993-94 to 1995-96. The funding for the Further Education Funding Council will allow colleges to continue the arrangements for fee remission for students such as those who are unemployed, which are currently operated by local education authorities. The council will shortly be issuing a consultative document on options for a funding method for 1994-95 onwards which will address funding issues related to widening access and meeting the needs of different client groups.
Column 566
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
European Union
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria were used in deciding which aspects of the treaty on European union to omit from the summary pamphlet "Britain in Europe".
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The pamphlet "Britain in Europe" provides a straightforward but accurate picture of the European Community and the Maastricht treaty.
Mohammed Afzal
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 November, Official Report, column 428 , what reports the high commission in Islamabad has received from the Pakistan authorities concerning the progress of the investigation into the murder of Mohammed Afzal in Jaurah village, Pakistan, on 4 October.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The British high commission in Islamabad have not yet received a report from the Pakistan authorities. They are in close touch with the Pakistan police, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as we have a report.
Iraq
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement outlining the links which have been established to date between his Department and the Iraqi Kurdish National Assembly ; and if he has any plans to place a diplomatic representative in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : A delegation from the Iraqi Kurdish National Assembly is at present visiting London. They will meet my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development and officials.
We have no plans to place a diplomatic representative in northern Iraq.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to maintain the air umbrella over northern Iraq.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The air umbrella over northern Iraq plays an important role in preserving the safety and well-being of the people of northern Iraq. The decision on its renewal rests with the Turkish National Assembly. We have been in close touch with the Turkish Government about this. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed this issue with the Turkish Prime Minister during his visit to London last month.
Sudan
Mr. O'Hara : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Sudan Government about persecutions of non-Muslims in that country.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have made clear to the Sudanese Government our abhorrence of the systematic abuses of human rights throughout Sudan, and the importance we
Column 567
attach to respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of religion. We co-sponsored the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the human rights situation in Sudan, adopted on 4 December.Macedonia
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to date during the United Kingdom Presidency of the European Community to the Government of Greece concerning the official recognition of Macedonia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Mr. Robin O'Neill, as personal representative of the Foreign Secretary, has regularly visited Athens and Skopje. He has held talks in both capitals in an effort to find a formula which will permit recognition for Macedonia in accordance with the Lisbon declaration.
Albania
Mr. Kaufman : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will inform the Albanian Government that British aid is conditional on the ending of public executions in that country.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : In deciding aid policy for individual countries, we take into account a number of factors relating to good Government, including human rights. Where improvements are needed we make our views clear to the country concerned. Our aim is to influence the government in whatever ways are most appropriate. The suspension of United Kingdom and EC aid, designed to relieve extreme hardship, would not necessarily be an effective way of improving human rights in Albania.
Western Sahara
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on the current developments in western Sahara following the visit of President Abdelaziz of Sadr.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz called on a senior official at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 27 November. We took this opportunity to reiterate our support for the United Nations settlement plan and the efforts of the United Nations
Secretary-General and his special representative to overcome the problems which have delayed the holding of a referendum.
Angola
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the United Nations on the post-election situation in Angola ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 3 December 1992] : We have been actively involved in United Nations Security Council discussions on the situation in Angola. On 30 November, the council adopted Security Council resolution 793 which extended until 31 January 1993 the role of the United Nations Angolan verification mission,
Column 568
and called on the parties in Angola to observe the ceasefire and create all the conditions necessary for the completion of the peace process.International Atomic Energy Agency
Mr. Hutton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department of the procedure used by Argentina and Brazil in negotiating and signing agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : I have been asked to reply.
We welcome the safeguards agreement between the IAEA, Argentina, Brazil and the Brazilian--Argentine agency for accounting and control of nuclear materials. It has no particular implications for my Department.
Japan
Mr. Hutton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 3 November, Official Report, column 171, on Japan, what discussions he has had with his Japanese counterparts relating to (a) the funding of the International Atomic Energy Agency and (b) the reduction of International Atomic Energy Agency inspections in Japan ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : I have been asked to reply.
I have not discussed the funding of the International Atomic Energy Agency with the Japanese. The second subject is a matter for the IAEA and the Japanese Government.
Zangger Committee
Mr. Hutton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 3 November, Official Report, column 170, on the Zangger committee, what recent work has been produced by the Zangger committee ; when it is next due to meet ; whether it has discussed the establishment of a reporting system on the export and import of nuclear material and relevant equipment and certain non-nuclear material ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : I have been asked to reply.
Discussions in the Zangger committee are confidential to the parties involved. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in May 1993.
In an effort to strengthen the international safeguards system, the United Kingdom, along with European Community partners, has recently notified the International Atomic Energy Agency that EC member states intend to provide information on transfers of ore concentrates imported or exported from the European Community and information on the items listed in annex B to IAEA INFCIRC/254/Revl/Part 1, when a licence for whose export to a country outside the European Community has been approved. These new arrangements are expected to commence in the new year.
Column 569
NATIONAL FINANCE
Chancellor's Legal Expenses
Mr. John Morris : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps were taken by the Treasury to satisfy themselves as to the propriety of the amount which they paid to Carter-Ruck solicitors ; how the proportion to be paid by the Treasury was arrived at ; what assessment was made as to whether this was the most economical way of doing the work ; and whether a remuneration certificate was requested from the Law Society as to the reasonableness of the charges carried and paid for by the Treasury.
Mr. Nelson : The decision that the Treasury should meet that part of the Chancellor's legal costs which related to the release of a press statement on the evening of 13 April 1991 and to the subsequent handling of extensive press inquiries was taken by the then accounting officer. He was satisfied that the actions taken by the Chancellor and his solicitors were justified in order to retain full confidence in the office of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and its holder and to forestall or correct misleading and inaccurate press stories which would have been damaging to the Chancellor's reputation and would therefore have had a bearing on his performance of his public duties. The Treasury did not meet any of the costs incurred in evicting the Chancellor's tenant.
Given the extensive interest generated by the press story and the high volume of inquiries which followed, the bill presented by Peter Carter-Ruck and Partners did not appear to the accounting officer to be either disproportionate or unjustified. No approach was made to the Law Society.
VAT
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will make it his policy that the agreement reached at the Council of Finance Ministers on 27 July does not in any way jeopardise the right of the United Kingdom Government to maintain a zero rate of value-added tax on children's clothes and shoes ;
(2) if he will make it his policy that the current zero rate of value-added tax on children's shoes and clothes will remain a derogation which is not time-limited ;
(3) if he will make it his policy to ensure that the current right to maintain a zero rate of value-added tax on children's clothes and shoes remains in force indefinitely ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir John Cope : The United Kingdom's current zero rates, including those on children's clothes and shoes, are protected by the EC sixth VAT directive which can only be amended by the unanimous agreement of all member states. The Government remain committed to the retention of the right to maintain existing zero rates.
Earth Summit
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the contribution the Central Statistical Office is making towards achieving the aim of the Earth summit relating to integration of environmental factors and costs into the national accounts ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 570
Mr. Nelson : In June this year, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development proposed that member states should establish integrated economic and environmental accounts, in parallel to existing national accounts, at the earliest possible date. The Central Statistical Office published an article examining the theory behind such integration, with illustrative statistics, in the November 1992 issue of "Economic Trends". Developing such integrated accounts will be a difficult task, not least because of the difficulty of putting monetary values on environmental factors.
Housing (Capital Receipts)
Ms. Walley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to allow local authorities to use all their capital receipts for the provision of affordable housing.
Mr. Portillo : No. It is important that local authorities in England and Wales use accumulated receipts to repay debt. They may, however, spend virtually all the capital receipts they acquire between 13 November 1992 and 31 December 1993 on new capital investments. This is in addition to spending financed by any usable receipts local authorities acquired before 13 November. Local authorities in Scotland are free to use capital receipts within the overall arrangements for the control of local authority capital spending in Scotland.
Public Sector Deficit
Mr. Gould : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures showing the extent to which the public sector deficit was either overfunded or underfunded over the period since 1975.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 30 November 1992] : The extent to which the public sector deficit was overfunded or underfunded in each year over the period since 1975 is shown in the table :
|c|In-year over(+)/under(-) funding|c| Financial year |£ billion --------------------------------------------- 1975-76 |-4.1 1976-77 |-0.1 1977-78 |-3.1 1978-79 |-0.1 1979-80 |-1.1 1980-81 |-1.5 1981-82 |+3.6 1982-83 |+1.8 1983-84 |+4.3 1984-85 |+4.7 1985-86 |-0.3 1986-87 |-0.4 1987-88 |0.0 1988-89 |+2.7 1989-90 |-0.7 1990-91 |+0.3 1991-92 |+0.3 Notes: 1. From 1988-89, the funding sector consists of the overseas sector and the domestic private sector excluding banks and building societies. In earlier years, the building societies were also included in the funding sector. 2. Figures take account of purchases of Treasury Bills by funding sector up to and including 1988-89. In subsequent years, Treasury Bills no longer count as funding. 3. No data is available for the funding sector's holding of tax instruments prior to 1976-77. However, the holdings were probably not material. 4. National Savings Bank Investment Account became part of National Savings on 31 December 1980, and moved from private sector to public sector. 5. The Trustee Savings Bank became part of the non-funding sector as from 31 December 1981, when the "banking sector" became the "monetary sector". 6. Public Sector Borrowing Rate was redefined in March 1984 to treat public sector bank deposits as a financing item rather than as one of the determinants of the PSBR, but the effect is minimal.
PRIME MINISTER
Cold Weather Credits
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Prime Minister when he will be replying to the letter of 21 October from the Campaign for Cold Weather Credits.
The Prime Minister : A reply was sent on my behalf by the Department of Social Security on 2 December 1992.
World Summit for Children
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on the progress made towards the goals established at the World summit for children in 1990.
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